liberian banana rice bread (vegan)

my roommate is vegan and she's always cooking up delicious vegan food. delicous food that doesn't include meat, cheese or milk?! i know it's hard to believe cuz i like to put meat, cheese, milk and butter on everything but she pulls it off. she especially makes excellent brownies and raspberry chocolate cookies. since i'm always eating her food but she usually can't eat mine, i like to occasionally make something that is vegan just to share with her. this time i found a recipe for banana rice bread. as soon as i saw it was made with cream of rice i had to try it. i love baking with cornmeal, cream of wheat or cream of rice. it gives the baked goods a grainy consistency that i love. it's also easy to make. mix everything together, pour, bake then eat.

Yield: 8 x 12-inch bread

Combine:
2 cups CREAM OF RICE (cereal)
3 cups MASHED BANANAS
1/2 cup VEGETABLE OIL
4 Tbs. SUGAR
1/2 tsp. NUTMEG
1 tsp. SALT
1 cup WATER
1 tsp. BAKING SODA.
Stir until thoroughly blended.

Bake in a well-greased 8 x 12-inch rectangular or 2 9-inch round cake pan at 400' for 30 minutes.

Test with a toothpick (when it comes out dry, bread is done)

carmelized banana flan

we had a feast at my place friday night. as usual i decided to cook something simple and it turns out to take forever to make! this time i made carmelized banana flan and beef & potato croquettes.
it was my first time making flan and i found a simple recipe but i might have put it in the wrong size pan cuz it turned out looking very ugly and messy. hence the carmelized bananas...i figured if i threw something on top of the flan it would distract how ugly it was. the good news is that even though it looked like vom, it taste good and people seemed to like it.

Ingredients

* 1 cup white sugar
* 3 eggs
* 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
* 1 (12 fluid ounce) can evaporated milk
* 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, melt sugar until liquefied and golden in color. Carefully pour hot syrup into a 9 inch round glass baking dish, turning the dish to evenly coat the bottom and sides. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, beat eggs. Beat in condensed milk, evaporated milk and vanilla until smooth. Pour egg mixture into baking dish. Cover with aluminum foil.
4. Bake in preheated oven 60 minutes. Let cool completely.
5. To serve, carefully invert on serving plate with edges when completely cool

weird fuckin broccoli, gillian's bread pudding and my third catering gig!

that strange magical green mass there is a species of broccoli. my roommate brought it home with her and even she doesn't know what it's called. isn't that thing crazy looking?

in other news, gillian and i eat ourselves silly. in this case, it was monday night supper. i made russell's green chile casserole with farm fresh ground beef and organic cream of mushroom soup that gillian had. she made this amazing bread pudding with challah bread, cultured butter, farm fresh milk & eggs, dried cranberries and maple whipped cream. holy crap i think i ate all of it. well i tried to at least. it was da bomb. having challah bread around made me miss good bread. there is a lack of it in tucumcari (no bakeries and one supermarket that wouldn't know what good bread was even if it beat the shit out of them). we also had chicken liver pate with toast squares. it was a strange combination of food but it worked because it was all delicious.

so today is tuesday and it was my third catering gig. i made russell's green chile casserole again. it's so simple to make yet so delicious. everyone seems to love it. i also made lime and cilantro coleslaw which is the same as the lime peanut coleslaw but minus the peanuts and jalapenos (peanuts and jalapenos are both acquired tastes and in order to feed a large group of people, some foods need to be neutral). for dessert i made chocolate chip cookies. i took them out the oven 10 minutes before i left the house so they were still warm. don't u want to hire me as your caterer?

brown butter ice cream

i love ice cream and i love butter. i also love making my own ice cream and my own butter so when i found this recipe and realized that you could marry the two i had to try and make it. i have to say that it sounds so weird but it's so delicious. the brown butter actually makes the ice cream creamier. i like salty ice creams but because i wanted ryan to like it and he was already sceptical of brown butter ice cream i omitted the salt in the recipe. i didn't want it to have too much of a salty butter flavor. i did sprinkle some salt on my ice cream after i made it and it taste a little like dulce de leche ice cream. yum!

i would share the recipe but because i got it from someone else's blog and they created this flavor themselves i'd feel weird spreading the recipe around. if you would like to make it google "brown butter ice cream" or "beurre noisette ice cream" and i'm sure you'll find it.

i think i'm gonna make some cornbread to go with it. cornbread+brown butter ice cream sounds like the perfect match to me.

update: cornbread + brown butter ice cream is heaven.

brownies

i threw together a batch of quick birthday brownies for taylor's bday. i like brownies to be more on the fudge than cake side. these were really fudgy and perfect.

Brownies:

5 ounces (140 grams) semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped (7 tbsp chocolate chips plus 3 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa + 3 tablespoon sugar + 3 teaspoon unsalted butter or vegetable oil)

1/2 cup (1 stick) (113 grams) unsalted butter, cut into pieces

2 tablespoons (15 grams) cocoa powder

1 cup (200 grams) granulated white sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

3 large eggs

3/4 cup (95 grams) all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup (125 grams) semi-sweet chocolate chips (optional)

Brownies: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C) and place the rack in the center of the oven. Butter (or spray with a nonstick cooking spray) an 8 inch (20 cm) square pan.

Melt the chocolate and butter in a large stainless steel bowl placed over a saucepan of simmering water. Remove from heat and stir in the cocoa powder
and sugar . Next, whisk in the vanilla extract and eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Finally, stir in the flour, salt and chocolate chips (if using).

Pour into the prepared pan and bake for about 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a little batter and a few moist clumps clinging to it. Do not over bake. Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack.
Makes 16 brownies.

my second catering gig

for my second catering gig i made spagetti with a creamy garlic tomato sauce and chicken, parmesan bread crumb green beans and apple cobbler. i felt more prepared this time which was good. the only thing that went wrong was i didn't make enough sauce for the amount of pasta. it looked like a lot of sauce to me but of course there can never be enough sauce. otherwise, everything went smoothly. next time i'll try to remember that, and maybe make a bigger dessert too.

on another note, i'm drinking a tea beverage i made. it's similar to a jasmine bubble milk tea drink minus the tapioca balls. i miss bubble tea drinks, especially taro milk tea mmmm.

bread pudding with sauce

i love making all different kinds of bread pudding. the reason why is because it's really easy and i always have bread around. i made this for gillian's brthday. yes a birthday bread pudding!

Ingredients:

2 cups whole milk (or 2 cups half & half)
1/4 cup butter
1/3 cup brown sugar (light or dark, depending on taste preference)
3 eggs
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups bread, torn into small pieces (french bread works best)
1/2 cup raisins (optional)


Directions:

1. In medium saucepan, over medium heat, heat milk (or half & half) just until film forms over top. Combine butter and milk, stirring until butter is melted. Cool to lukewarm.

2. Combine sugar, eggs, cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla. Beat with an electric mixer at medium speed for 1 minute. Slowly add milk mixture.

3. Place bread in a lightly greased 1 1/2 quart casserole.

4. Sprinkle with raisins if desired. Pour batter on top of bread.

5. Bake at 350 degrees F for 45 to 50 minutes or until set. Serve warm.

If you make the sauce to put on top of your bread pudding, adjust the sugar in the bread pudding recipe, change it to 1/3 cups sugar (the sauce has the other 1/3 cup in it).


Bread Pudding Sauce

Ingredients:

1 cup whole milk
2 Tbsp. butter
1/3 cup granulated white sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 Tbsp. flour
dash of salt

Directions:

Mix everything together and bring to a boil for 3 - 4 minutes, stirring constantly. Set aside for 5 minutes, then pour on warm bread pudding.

i had used toasted bread because i didn't have any french bread. toasting sliced bread makes it more firm so it won't get gooey when soaked in the milk mixture. i think this bread pudding recipe was up there with the bourbon bread pudding i made once. mmmmm...

my first catering gig and passion fruit curd

yesterday i had my first catering gig. i made cajun meatballs, garlic mashed potatoes, collard greens and chocolate chip oatmeal cookies. i think everyone liked it because i'm sure i'll be doing it again next week. i'm so excited!

in other news, i'm craving passion fruit curd. i've had it probably twice in my life, one being in the filling of a jacques torres truffle and another time in a chocolate chip cake from momofuku milk bar. i was planning on making some to use it for a dip for chocolate croissants and churros. well apparently you need passion fruit frozen concentrated juice and i can't find it. now whenever i go out of town i have to remind myself to search for it because passion fruit curd = mm mm good.

cinnamon sugar crispitos

i always have flour tortilla around and i love recipes coated in cinnamon sugar. i made these for all the drunk people at my house after the superbowl was over. they were really easy, yummy and quick to make.

* 1/8 cup cinnamon
* 1/2 cup sugar
* 10 flour tortillas
* oil

Directions

1. Mix together cinnamon and sugar very well. In a dutch oven, or large skillet heat the oil to 350 Degrees. If you do not have a thermometer, you can set it on med high, but be careful to watch that it doesn't get too hot and begin to smoke.
2. Quarter the tortillas and deep fry 2-4 at a time. Allow them to cook on one side for about 30 seconds or until golen brown, turn over, and repeat. When both sides are brown take out, and place on paper towels to drain. While the tortillas are draining liberally sprinkle with cinnamon mix.

chocolate chip cheesecake

i made this cheesecake for a superbowl party we went to. it tastes like a cookie dough pie. so yummy and easy to make as long as u have an electric mixer.

2 8 oz packages cream cheese - softened
1/2 cup Sugar
1/2 teaspoon Vanilla
2 Eggs
1/2 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
Graham cracker crust

Using an electric mixer, beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla at medium speed until well blended. Blend in 2 eggs. Stir in chocolate chips then pour batter into graham cracker pie crust. You may sprinkle 1/4 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips on top if you desire.

Bake at 350 F for 40 min, or until center is almost set. Cool.
For best results refrigerate for at least 3 hours.

cajun meatballs

i was making some appetizers last night. we had a bunch of ground beef so making meatballs was perfect. this recipe i found was so easy. i used ryan's homemade barbecue sauce mixed with peach jam for this meatball sauce. such a tasty idea! mmmm

* 1 pound lean ground beef
* 1 1/2 teaspoons hot pepper sauce
* 2 tablespoons Cajun seasoning
* 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
* 1 tablespoon dried parsley
* 1/4 cup finely chopped onion
* 1/4 cup fresh bread crumbs
* 1/4 cup milk
* 1 egg
* 1/2 cup barbeque sauce
* 1/2 cup peach preserves

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a medium baking sheet.
2. In a large bowl, mix thoroughly the ground beef, hot pepper sauce, Cajun seasoning, Worcestershire sauce, parsley, onion, bread crumbs, milk, and egg.
3. Form the mixture into golf ball sized meatballs and place on the prepared baking sheet. Bake in preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes, or until there is no pink left in the middle.
4. In a small bowl, combine the barbeque sauce and peach preserves.
5. When meatballs are done, place in a serving dish and cover with the barbeque sauce mixture. Toss to coat.

i didn't toss the meatballs in the barbecue sauce, instead i served it on the side. i read reviews where people but the sauce in the meatballs and they said it was good too. i forgot to take a picture because we ate it right out of the oven.

Chapati Recipe

i'm always looking for different ways to make bread, especially flatbread. i've never worked with yeast before so i search for bread recipes that don't have yeast. yeast frightens me. i love bread but i'm scared to work with yeast because i think about that i love lucy episode when she makes bread and it turns into a log in her oven and pins her against the wall. it's silly i know, but someday i shall work with yeast.
unfortunately the recipe i used for chapati is trademarked so i can't share it. but if you wanna make it, google search chapati and i'm sure you'll find a recipe you'd want to use. they were so easy to make! i'm so happy with the results i'll definately make them again.

Chocolate Bourbon Cake Recipe

i was heading to my friend gillian's house for dinner. she loves eating just as much a i do. i know she likes chocolate cake so i found this recipe. i pretty much had all the ingredients except bourbon. i used canadian whiskey instead. it'll have a different flavor but it's still a yummy whiskey cake.

* 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened, more for greasing pan
* 2 cups all-purpose flour, more for dusting pan
* 5 ounces high quality, unsweetened dark chocolate
* 1/4 cup instant espresso (can use instant coffee)
* 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
* 1 cup bourbon whiskey (can use 1/2 cup), more for sprinkling
* 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
* 2 cups granulated sugar
* 3 large eggs
* 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar (powdered sugar), for sprinkling

Method

1 Preheat oven to 325°F. Grease and flour a large bundt pan (10 cup capacity), or two 8- or 9-inch loaf pans. Melt chocolate in a microwave oven or in a double boiler over simmering water. Let cool.

2 Put instant espresso and cocoa powder in a 2-cup (or larger) glass measuring cup. Add enough boiling water to come up to the 1 cup measuring line. Mix until powders dissolve. Stir in whiskey and salt; let cool.

3 Beat softened butter until fluffy (2-3 minutes on high). Add sugar and beat until well combined. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well between each addition. Beat in the vanilla extract, baking soda and melted chocolate, scraping down sides of bowl with a rubber spatula.

4 With the mixer on the lowest speed, beat in a third of the whiskey espresso cocoa mixture. When liquid is absorbed, beat in 1 cup flour. Repeat additions, ending with whiskey mixture. Scrape batter into prepared pan and smooth top. Bake until a cake tester inserted into center of cake comes out clean, about 1 hour 10 minutes for Bundt pan (loaf pans will take less time, start checking them after 55 minutes).

5 Transfer cake to a rack. Unmold after 15 minutes and sprinkle warm cake with more whiskey. Let cool. Sprinkle powdered sugar through a mesh sieve over the cake before serving.

i had a few slight problems. the first was that i only had two ounces of unsweetened chocolate. so i added 9 more tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder than the recipe called for plus 3 tablespoons of corn oil to make up for the three ounces of unsweetened chocolate i was missing. after the cake was baked, i waited 15 minutes to cool, attempted to pry the cake out the pan and just the top part fell out leaving the bottom part stuck in the pan. the top part of the cake that did fall out crumbled to pieces. it was still yummy though so i threw it back into the bundt pan, poured some more whiskey on top, covered it in powdered sugar and left it like that. gillian said i should call it a chocolate avalanche cake because it looked like a mountain covered in snow that was about to crumble. after dinner, we drank pomegranate wine with the cake and it was really tasty together. then for the second round of cake we drank huge glasses of milk. we ate so much we almost fell asleep! good times!

*update: gillian suggested we call it narcolepsy cake because everytime someone ate a slice they wanted to or almost did fall asleep.

honey nut chicken

i'm always trying to find new ways to flavor chicken.i found this recipe and thought it sounded excellent. beside the flavor of honey and peanuts i love incorporating cereal into recipes. i dunno if that's white trash or not but whatever, it's delicious and usually crunchy! i recently bought 5 chicken breasts for $3 (what what!) and i made mole chicken with 2 of them so i had 3 leftover. i cut out the bones and sliced the breast into strips.

* 1/4 cup butter, melted
* 2 Tbsp. honey
* 1/2 cup finely chopped salted peanuts or other salted nuts
* 3/4 cup finely crushed cornflakes
* 1/2 tsp. dried thyme leaves
* 1/4 tsp. salt

Preparation:
Combine butter and honey in shallow pan and mix well. Combine remaining ingredients in another pan. Dip boneless, skinless chicken breasts in butter mixture, then roll in crumb mixture to coat. Bake at 400 degrees F for 18-24 minutes.

i didn't have any thyme so i used italian seasoning. when i first tried the chicken i thought they were tasty but a bit dry. i melted some butter and added some honey into that (just like the dip prior to battering the chicken) and dipped the cooked chicken in that. it worked out really well.

tortilla casserole

being surrounded by all this yummy new mexican food make me want to learn how to cook it all so i can eat it all. this recipe is similar to the one i got from russell for the green chile casserole. ryan said it taste like hamburger helper (after he scarfed down half of it) but i beg to differ. this recipe is big serving but i cut it in half cuz only ryan and i were gonna eat it.
6 flour tortillas, burrito size 1 pt. container sour cream 2 lb. ground beef 1 lg. onion 2 (8 oz.) cans tomato sauce 2 (10 3/4 oz.) cans enchilada sauce 1 can black olives, chopped 1 lb. cheddar cheese, grated 1 lb. jack cheese, grated Brown meat and onion. Make 3 layers of tortillas with sour cream and spread on each tortilla, 2 to each layer. Place a layer in a deep 13 x 9 inch pan. Spoon 1/3 of the meat and onion mixture, 1/3 olives, 1/3 each cheese on layer. Repeat 2 more layers. Mix 2 sauces together and spoon over top of layers. Cover with foil. bake 250 degrees for 2 hours.

i cut out the olives because ryan hates them but i topped mine with some. i also added jalapenos for some extra spice.

lime & peanut coleslaw recipe

this recipe caught my eye because it was unique. i love cabbage, tomato, jalapeno, cilantro and peanuts, so to have them altogether in one dish made me want to make it.

1 1/2 cups unsalted raw peanuts
1/2 of a medium-large cabbage
1 basket of tiny cherry tomatoes, washed and quartered
1 jalapeno chile, seeded and diced
3/4 cup cilantro, chopped

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon + fine-grain sea salt

In a skillet or oven (350F) roast the peanuts for 5 to 10 minutes, shaking the pan once or twice along the way, until golden and toasted.

Cut the cabbage into two quarters and cut out the core. Using a knife shred each quarter into whisper thin slices. The key here is bite-sized and thin. If any pieces look like they might be awkwardly long, cut those in half. Combine the cabbage, tomatoes, jalapeno (opt), and cilantro in a bowl.

In a separate bowl combine the lime juice, olive oil, salt. Add to the cabbage mixture and gently stir to combine. Just before serving fold in the peanuts (add them too earl and they lose some of their crunch). Taste and adjust the flavor with more salt if needed.

Serves 6 as a side.

the peanuts and cabbage go surprisingly well together. i would have never thought of combining these ingredients together. i forgot to buy fresh cilantro so i just used 2 tablespoons of dried cilantro. i also couldn't find raw peanuts so i used roasted unsalted peanuts. and only 3/4 cup of them because i thought the recipe seemed like it called for too much, which it did because 3/4 cup is more than enough. i used canned chopped jalapeno instead of fresh. maybe next time i'll add green chiles to the mix. oh yea, and i used roma tomatoes because the cherry tomatoes were mad expensive.